Google+ Followers

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Public offered free mental health first aid training

Mental Health First Aid experts will be training throughout
the state, including in Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties.

The sessions are to help increase literacy and reduce stigma
regarding mental health problems and mental illness, said Ed Kiefer, a senior
training consultant with the Center for Positive Living Supports in Clinton
Township.

The center arranged for the training of members of the
public after Gov. Rick Snyder declared May 18 to May 24 as “Michigan
Mental Health First Aid Week.”

The free training for up to 40 will be from 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m., May 20, at the Auburn Hills campus of the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center
at 1270 Doris Ave.

Mental health first aid is defined as the help offered to a
person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health
crisis. The first aid is given until appropriate treatment and support are
received or until the crisis is resolved.

“… when someone we know is experiencing a major mental
health problem we may be unsure of what to do,” Kiefer said. “We may choose to
do nothing, disassociate, or communicate fear to others all of which further
stigmatize the individual, their family, and our community”, said Kiefer, who
also does Culture of Gentleness training, a philosophy based on building trust
between a caregiver and person with a disability or mental illness so physical
or chemical restraints aren’t needed.

Nearly one-in-five Americans develop a mental disorder in
any one year, according to the Center
for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Kiefer added,
“Mental health problems are common and unfortunately understanding how to
provide initial help is not.”

Those with mental illness “could be someone very close to
you,” said Kiefer. “As a Mental Health First-Aider we are conduits to care” in
that those trained in the field can guide someone to the proper physicians or
treatment programs.

The Michigan Mental Health First Aid Week will be supported
with radio spots and a phone bank for people to call, according to Snyder’s
office. The statewide goal is to train 1,500 people during the course of this
week.

Jerry Wolffe is the writer-in-residence and
advocate-at-large at the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center. He can be reached at
586 263-8950.